Scope and Contents

The collection consists of less than a quarter of a linear foot of materials documenting PFC William Joseph Oakley's U.S. Army service with 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry attached to the 118th Aviation Company in Bien Hoa, Vietnam. He was a gunner aboard a UH-1B helicopter which collided with another helicopter in mid-air, exploded upon impact, and crashed. He died on 28 May 1965. The materials include genealogical data; casualty data; burial data, photographs and images; clippings; correspondence; certificates; and a Vietnam Memorial Wall etching. The materials are dated predominately 1965, 1980-2025, or are otherwise undated.

Biographical / Historical

PFC William Joseph Oakley was born 24 September 1946 in Waterbury, CT. He served with 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry attached to the 118th Aviation Company in Bien Hoa, Vietnam. He was a gunner aboard a UH-1B helicopter which collided with another helicopter in mid-air, exploded upon impact, and crashed. He died on 28 May 1965.